Brush for cleaning metallic plates



UNITED STATES E. A. HARVEY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

BRUSH FOR CLEANING METALLIC PLATES.

Specification forming part ot`Lettc1s Patent No. 19.755, dated September 5,1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. A. HARVEY, of Wilmin gton, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented a new and Im proved Brush for Cleaning Metallic Plates and other Purposes; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the nature, construction, and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made part of this specitication, and in whicl Figure 1 is a side elevation of a reciprocating brush illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section ot' the same, the pla-ne of section being indicated by the line x x, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a rotary brush constructed upon my improved plan. Fig. I is a sectional view, illustrating a modification.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures.

The hog-bristles and other material of which metal scouring brushes have hitherto been made are liable to lose their stiffness and elasticity both by the action of the water and by the constant torsion and deiiection to which they are subjected when in use.

In the brush the subject of this invention the scouring medium consists of strips ofrubber or other material, which are inserted in a suitable head in such a way as to leave a reserve of material-or, in other words, more than the effective portion thereofso that as the said strips become worn by friction the acting or effective parts thereof may be elongated by pulling the strips forward in the head, which retains them. A property of the rubber adapts it to-be thus pulled forward, but prevents any change in the position of strips under the pushing force which is applied thereto when the brush is in operation.

Other material-such as tam pico and other suitable material-can be used as the scouring medium instead of rubber, and such material may be secured in the head by means of a rnbber bushing, in the manner to be explained.

In order that others skilled in the branch of manufacture to which myinvention appertains may be enabled to fully understand and use the same, I will proceed to describe it with ret'- erence to the accompanying drawings.

A A A represent a number of strips composed of india-rubber or any analogous elastic material which will not be deleteriously affected by the action of the water or by torsion and deection. These are titted snugly in apertures a in the head B in the manner represented-that is to say, when the brush is first made the larger proportion ofthe strips project from the back of the brush, thus leaving a reserve to be brought into requisition as the operating part of the strips is worn away by friction. When the strips are thus fitted snugly in the head B the brush is complete without the application of pins or keys or other appliances for retaining the strips in place while the brush isin operation. Hence, while they cannot be pushed out of' their normal operating position, the strips A may be pulled or drawn forward by hand as soon as they become worn at the ends, so that a regular scouring-surface may be maintained with obvious facility. The strips A are not liable to lose their elasticity; but apart from this it is believed that the material used constitutes a scouring medium superior to the bristles or other material heretofore made use of. Yh'en the strips are fixed in the flat openings a the swelling ofthe wood may cause them to be so tightly wedged and compressed as to render it difficult or impossible to draw the strips through when the reserve is to be made use ot'. Therefore I propose to make the apertures in which the strips are placed of the form represented by a. These openings a are round and have recesses a2 at opposite sides. The edges ofthe rubber strips A enter the recesses a2, so that only a sufficient portion of their sides near their edges are subjected to friction to hold them in place, while the remaining portion may bend, as represented, so as to assume the form of a curve. Hence the swelling of the wood can have little effect as regards the compression of the rubber, and the strips may at all times be adjusted with facility.

In Fig. 4, O represents a bushing, made of gum or analogous material, to provide for the use of fibrous material for scrubbing, which may be other than that of an elastic nature. Such strips t tightly in the bushing O, and are used with a reserve in the same manner as those above described. The proportion be-a tween the reserve portion ot' the scouring material and that in operation is an optional mat'n ter, and may he varied to any desirable extent. Any material may be employed so long as the reserve is secured; but I prefer that which will not lose its efficiency by the action of water.

It is manifest that by providing' a reserve of material-that is to say, the adjustment ofthe strips A-the brush is rendered more lasting and generally etticient than in the case of fixed bristles.

If desired, pins and keys of any kind may be used for retaining the strips so long as they admit ofthe adjustment of the same; but the self-retaining method described is preferable. The strips or pieces A may be iiat7 square7 round, or of any other form.

Having thus described myinvention, the fol.- lowing; is what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

E. A. HARVEY.

Witnesses:

ALEXR. A. U. KLAUCKE, W. F. HALL. 

